Bondi Beach

The word “Bondi" is an Aboriginal word meaning water breaking over rocks or noise of water breaking over rocks. The beach was founded in 1851 as part of a private estate. It became officially a public beach in the early 1900’s. It is located four miles east of downtown Sydney and it about one kilometer (.62 miles) in length. Thousands of tourists flock here during the warmer months, reaching totals into the thousands. The Surf Life Saving Australia (Lifeguards) gives the beach two separate hazard ratings. The northern end rates at a 4 while the southern end rates as a 7 with 10 being the most hazardous. There are five rip currents along the beach, with the most dangerous one (called the Backpackers Rip) close to the designated swimming area. Needless to say, Mason and Morgan were not going swimming! There is an underwater shark net which other beaches along the southern part of the coast share. (That’s a relief – because if the currents don’t kill you, I’m sure the sharks will!) This is such a popular destination not only for local Sydneysiders, but for many Aussies all over the country as well that they have created a reality show called “Bondi Rescue”. We enjoy watching the show, and it is amazing how many times they rescue someone.

Before I say anymore, let me reiterate how thankful we are to explore this highly sought after country. It is a dream to be here, and we have many expectations to how certain Aussie places would be like. The reality of our vision showed to be underwhelming. It IS a beautiful place with such history and character, but we can name quite a few beaches in Florida alone that shine brighter. Maybe the surf is better here, but I would recommend our American beaches first. Most of our time was spent watching the kids squish their toes in the sand, acting carefree. Our plan was to walk along a beach path along the cliffs, but was cut short due to the increase of tourists. We walk at a fare pace, trying to move with the flow yet maintaining safety with the children. It was a constant bombardment of people in front and behind running over us. We sat on a bench waiting for some of the pedestrian traffic flow to slow down. It was so sad to see the majority of them whizzing by without enjoying the beautiful scenery. In fact, many people were missing an amazing bit of aboriginal history. Below is a photo of indigenous rock art. No telling how old these markings are.

The rest of the day was spent walking up and down Bondi Junction, a shopping area about a mile from the beach. The majority of retail stores there carry surfing merchandise at – yes, you guess it – double to triple the cost of what it would be back home. (Blanchard Clan – They had Hurley stuff!) After window shopping we returned home, ready for some rest. And that is it for this weekend. After almost two months of weekends straight of running around town, we had to take a break. We could not have picked a better day to do so. Even though August weather tends to carry stronger winds yet warmer temperatures, today has been another one of their coldest days with a lots of wind, rain, and several temperature drops. It is their coldest winter ever. We splurged today (Sunday, August 10, 2008) keeping the heater on for part of the afternoon. I hope you enjoy some of our photos and footage from yesterday. Surf’s up, and Hang Ten, Mates!